EDITORIAL

Published: October 11, 2003 8:00 PM

Imagine you are one of the children in Guernsey, Noble or Muskingum counties whose dad or mom is in Iraq trying to stay alive and rebuild a nation.

All you hear is bad news from over there.

After a while, you get scared and start to wonder about many things.

Thats why President Bush was right last week when he said that too often the press ignores good news from Iraq.

Nobody wants a rosy picture painted where none exists, but American military personnel are doing some good things in Iraq. These good deeds often are either under-reported or ignored all together by the media.

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Many of the soldiers performing humanitarian missions in Iraq are from here in southeastern Ohio. Some are regular troops, many are reservists, and others are in the National Guard.

Coalition forces have built or rebuilt schools, ensured hospitals are working and helped universities function. In addition, coalition forces are digging wells, refurbishing irrigation systems and building or rebuilding roads. Specialists are helping to maintain and rebuild the oil, electric and water infrastructure of Iraq.

The progress that has taken place in Iraq in four or five months has dwarfed similar operations in Bosnia or Kosovo, or before that, in Germany and Japan.

We all need to better appreciate the sacrifices of our troops. Progress is being made in Iraq, and we need to make sure that southeastern Ohio knows that the sacrifices of its fathers, mothers, sons and daughters are for a good cause.

A ruthless dictator was eliminated, and we are making a difference every single day, whether its reported or not.